Revenue stamp securing device



March 19, 1935. H. J. GABRIEL El AL 1,994,991

REVENUE STAMP SIECURING DEVICE Fi led Sept. 16, 1935 Patented Mar. 19,1935 REVENUE STAMP SECURING DEVICE Harry J. Gabriel and Alfred F.Chouinard, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 16, 193 3, Serial No. 689,180

3 Claims.

When beer is sold in barrels the internal revenue stamp is applied bythe manufacturer over' the so-called tap in one of the barrel heads;

the beer pump being plugged in .through this 5 tap and so mutilating thestamp, if it happens to be there, that there is no danger that the stampwill again be used. Heretofore there has been considerable difficulty inso securing the.

revenue stamps over the taps as to insure against accidental loss of thestamps or their removal for further unauthorized use.

The object of the present invention is to provide simple and novel meansfor effectively securing and holding revenue or other stamps or the liketo beer barrel taps or similar devices.

Since it is desirable to reduce to a minimum the possibility that arevenue stamp can be unlawfully removed from a barrel without beingmutilated sufficiently to prevent its re-use, the present invention maybe said to contemplate holding and securing means for such a stamp thatwill mutilate the latter during the process of securing it to thebarrel; so that, if the stamp should be unlawfully removed, it shall bein a mutilated condition that can readily be detected.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of the invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a securing and holding device embodyingour invention in one of its many forms; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of thedevice applied to a barrel tap without, however, having a revenue stamppresent; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on an enlargedscale, there being a revenue stamp interposed between the tap and theholding device; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing amodification; and Fig. 5 is a section on the same scale as Fig. 3, online 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing there is illustrated a-tap of the type adapted to bescrewed into a wooden barrel head, but the invention is not limited to atap adapted to be fastened to a barrel in this way, or even to a tapwhich is separable from a barrel or formed as a separate part. In itsbroad aspect a tap may be regarded as any part of a barrel having anopening through which a discharge conduit or element may be inserted andhaving a depression adjacent to such opening for the reception ofholding means on a device adapted to secure the discharge conduit or thelike to the barrel. The particular tap illustrated consists of a plug lhaving an axial hi e 2 extending through the same.

Surrounding the bore and spaced apart therefrom by an annular wall orshell 3 is a deep annular recess or chamber 4 that opens out through thetop of the plug. Around the top of the central cylindrical tubular part3 is an outwardly-projecting flange 5 cut away at diametrically opposedpoints to provide notches 6, 6. This is simply a common form of 7 tap.

In accordance with our invention an internal revenue stamp A or thelike, lying on top of the tap, issecured and heldin place bymeansoverlybands forming the upper edge face of the central cylindrical part3, the securing'and holding device may lie on either or both of theseannular surfaces and cover either or both to any desired extent.

Furthermore, the number of'.elements that extend down from any singlesecuring and holding device into the annular recess or chamber is simplya matter of choice or selection, depending upon the judgment of anyparticular user or manufacturer.

Since they will satisfactorily illustrate the various features of theinvention, we have shown two forms of holding and securing devices, eachconsisting of an annular part and each having a plurality of projectingportions or fingers, and the detailed description will be confined tothese particular forms.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 there is a fiatsheetmetal ring 7 of about the same diameter and radial width as theouter annular upper surface 8 of the tap. When this ring is laid on arevenue stamp the latter is gripped more or less firmly between twoopposed annular faces.

The ring 7 is provided with radial fingers slender.

Each finger of one of these additional sets is composed of adownwardly-extending stem 10 terminating in an inwardly and upwardlybent hook portion 11. When the holding and securing device is set onthetap these hookshaped fingers extend down into the recess or chamber 4,the depending portions or stems preferably resting against the outerannular wall of the tap and the free or hook ends extending underneaththe flange 5 so that, if it be attempted to lift the ring, the hookswill catch on the flange. The third set of fingers may be simple flatstrips 12 extending downwardly and each having a prong 13 strucktherefrom; the prongs 13 being pressed outwardly away from 1 the centralaxis of the device and the poits of the prongs being upwardly directed.When the device is applied to the tap the pointed ends of the prongsengage with the normally rough inner' when the fingers 12 are made fromspring r'netalx they may be caused to act as springs to press the pawlsor catches 13 against the surrounding annular wall. v

In using the device, the revenue stamp is first laid on the tap and thedevice, properly centered with respect to the tap, is then forced downinto interlocking engagement with the latter, puncturing the stamp ateach of the downwardly-extending fingers. Thus the stamp is mutilated atas many points as there are downwardly-extending fingers, the mutilationcaused by the hooklike fingers being considerable, as distinguished frommere punctures; and, if the holding and securing device is pried out,further mutilation of the stamp will inevitably occur.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the holding and securingdevice is in the form of a flat annular plate or ring 15 of the samediamface area 8 of the tap. The ring 15 is shown as being provided withwide, strong fingers 1'7 more or less like the hooked fingers in theother form, but projecting outwardly in the manner of the spokes fromthe hub of a wheel. In addition to projecting outwardly, the fingers 1'7also extend in the downward direction and have their free ends bentinwardly and upwardly to form hooks 18 adapted to underlie the flange 5on the tap when the device is pressed down into operative relation tothe tap. i

Each of the two devices illustrated obviously discloses what may beregarded as the simplest form of the invention, namely, an element ofany desired size and shape adapted to overlie a stamp and a partextending down into a recess in the tap and interlocked withthe" tap tohold said element in place. Such downwardly-extending part preferablypasses through the stamp and may, for example, take the form of any oneof the three different types of fingers for the purpose shown in thedrawing, although not limited thereto. A multiplicity of catch fingersor holding fingers, of course, provides greater security than does onlya single finger and, where a plurality of catch fingers or holdingfingers are employed, they may conveniently be connected together in themanner shown, or otherwise. Fingers such as those indicated at 9 and 16are useful and add to the effectiveness of the more highly developedforms of the invention, but may be omitted in simpler or other forms.

Although our improved devices will ordinarfly be made from sheet metal,any other suitable material may be employed.

While we have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions ofthe invention constituting the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with a barrel tap having in the top a deep recessadapted to receive a coupling element associated with a member throughwhich the contents of the barrel are to be discharged, and the saidrecess containing shoulders adapted to interlock withcomplementary partson such coupling element, of an annular member adapted to rest on top ofsaid tap over a stamp, said annular member having fingers adapted topenetrate the stamp and enter said recess, and means on said fingersadapted to interlock with the shoulders in the tap to hold said annularmember to the tap, said annular member having additional fingers lyingin the plane thereof and long enough to span said recess.

2. The combination with a barrel tap having in the top a deep, openrecess adapted to receive a coupling element associated with a memberthrough which the contents of the barrel are to be discharged, therecess containing shoulders adapted to interlock with such couplingelement; of a stamp-securing device comprising an annular member adaptedto rest on top of the tap over a stamp and leavethat part of the stampregistering with the recess exposed, fingers'projecting from one face ofthe annular member inposition to pass through the, stamp and enter saidrecess when pressed down, the lower ends of said fingers extendinglaterally and'upward in the form of large hooks adapted to interlockwith said shoulders and to cause mutilation of the stamp in forcingtheir way down through the same.

3. The combination with a barrel tap having in the top a deep, openrecess adapted to receive a coupling element associated with a memberthrough which the contents of the barrel are to be discharged, therecess containing shoulders adapted tointerlock with such couplingelement; of a stamp-securing device of resilient sheet metal comprisingan annular member adapted to rest on top of the tap over a stamp andleave that part of the stamp registering with the recess exposed,fingers projecting from one 'face of the annular member in position topass through the stamp and enter said recess when pressed down, thelower ends of said fingers extending laterally and upward in the form oflarge hooks adapted to interlock with said shoulders and to causemutilation of the stamp in forcing their way down through the same.

HARRY J. GABRIEL. ALFRED F. CHOUINARD.

